JP2006130772A - Image processing apparatus and image processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To finely establish service usage fee in accordance with diversification of service embodiment which a user utilizes when image data is read out from a confidential box and is printed (confidential printing). <P>SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus has a constitution equipped with the confidential box, and is equipped with a box designating part 22 for designating the confidential box, a data storing part 24 for storing the image data in the confidential box designated by this box designating part 22, and storing the kind of the service used when the image data is stored in the confidential box in accordance with the image data, a printing indicating part 24 for indicating printing of the image data stored in the confidential box by this data storing part 24, and a counter part 26 with a plurality of counters for counting the number of sheets of printing on every kind of the service corresponding to the image data when the image data indicated by this printing indicating part 24 is printed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method for storing and printing image data using a confidential box.

  In recent years, multifunction devices having a plurality of functions such as a copy (copying) function, a scan (image reading) function, a print (printing) function, and a facsimile function are becoming widespread. Some of these multifunction devices have a large-capacity hard disk, and a part of the storage area of the hard disk is assigned to a user as a confidential box so that image data can be stored there.

  The confidential box can be assigned to each user by setting the user name, personal identification number, password, confidential box number, etc. as identification information of the confidential box. When storing image data in a confidential box, the user can store the image data in a desired confidential box by specifying identification information of the confidential box assigned to the user. When image data is extracted from the confidential box, the image data can be read from the desired confidential box by specifying the identification information of the confidential box storing the image data. The image data read from the confidential box can be printed out on a paper medium or the like. Reading image data from the confidential box and printing it in this way is called “confidential printing”.

  Conventionally, a confidential box has been used mainly for storing facsimile data (received data) in a facsimile machine, so that most of image data read and printed from the confidential box is facsimile data (for example, , See Patent Document 1 below). For this reason, when charging for the execution of confidential printing, the number of sheets for confidential printing is counted assuming one service called a facsimile service, and charging is performed according to this count value.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-198466

  However, when a confidential box is set on the hard disk or the like of the multifunction machine, the confidential box is used not only for storing facsimile data but also for storing copy data, scan data, print data, and the like. That is, the forms of services used when storing image data in a confidential box are diversified such as a copy service, a scan service, a print service, and a facsimile service. In such a case, if the confidential printing is uniformly charged as one service as in the prior art, there is a problem that the service usage fee cannot be finely set according to the diversification of the service forms used by the user.

  An image processing apparatus according to the present invention stores designation data for a confidential box, and stores the image data in the confidential box designated by the designation means, and sets the type of service used when the image data is stored in the image data Storing means for storing in the confidential box in association with each other, instruction means for instructing printing of the image data stored in the confidential box by this storage means, and at the time of printing the image data instructed by this instruction means, the image data Counting means for counting the number of printed sheets for each type of service associated with.

  The image processing method according to the present invention includes a designation step for designating a confidential box, storing image data in the confidential box designated in the designation step, and specifying the type of service used when the image data is stored in the image data Storing in the confidential box in association with each other, an instruction step for instructing printing of the image data stored in the confidential box in this storage step, and the image data at the time of printing the image data instructed in this instruction step And a counting step for counting the number of printed sheets for each type of service associated with.

  In the image processing apparatus and the image processing method according to the present invention, when storing image data in a confidential box, the service type and the image data used at the time of data storage are stored in the confidential box in association with each other. When the printing of the image data stored in the folder is instructed, the number of copies of the image data is counted for each service type in order to count the number of printed image data for each type of service associated with the image data in the confidential box. Can be managed separately.

  According to the present invention, since the number of confidential prints can be managed separately for each service type, the service usage fee is set finely according to the diversification of the service forms used by the user, and this fee setting is performed. The user can be charged according to

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated image processing apparatus is a multi-function device having a plurality of functions such as a copy function, a scan function, a print function, and a facsimile function, and mainly includes a controller 1, a user interface (UI) 2, and a scanner unit. 3, a printing unit 4, and a post-processing unit 5.

  The controller 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 6, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 7, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 8, a nonvolatile memory (NVRAM; Non-Volatile RAM) 9, and a hard disk (HDD; Hard Disk Drive) 10, image processing unit 11, UI interface (UI IF) 12, communication interface (communication IF) 13, device interface (device IF) 14, LAN (Local Area Network) connection unit 15 A serial connection unit 16, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection unit 17, and a modem 18 are provided.

  Inside the controller 1, the CPU 6, ROM 7, RAM 8, nonvolatile memory 9, hard disk 10, image processing unit 11, UI interface 12, communication interface 13, and device interface 14 are respectively connected to a common bus. 19 are connected to each other via 19. The bus 19 includes a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect Bus) bus, a memory bus, and the like. The LAN connection unit 15, the serial connection unit 16, the USB connection unit 17, and the modem 18 are individually connected to the communication interface 13. On the other hand, the user interface 2 includes a display unit 20 and an operation unit 21.

  The controller 1 comprehensively controls the operation of the image processing apparatus, and is constructed on, for example, one controller board. The CPU 6 performs various control processes according to the control program and control data stored in the ROM 7. The ROM 7 may be configured such that data can be rewritten (erased and written) like a flash memory, for example. The RAM 8 is used as a temporary data storage location such as a system memory for program operation by the CPU 6 and a page memory for image processing. The non-volatile memory 9 is used to store non-volatile data, image quality adjustment, various setting parameters, and data related to various histories. The hard disk 10 is used for storing image data and data relating to various histories. The image processing unit 11 performs various types of image processing such as image data compression / decompression processing, rotation processing, gradation correction processing, and color correction processing.

  The UI interface 12 is for electrically connecting the user interface 2 so that the controller 1 can control the user interface 2 via the bus 19. When the controller 1 directly controls the user interface 2, it is not necessary to provide the UI interface 12 in particular. The communication interface 13 is an interface for connecting various external devices and networks for communication. The device interface 14 is an interface for connecting various functional devices (in this example, the scanner unit 3 and the printing unit 4) constituting the multifunction peripheral.

  The LAN connection unit 15 is for connecting the own apparatus to a network, and includes LAN connection such as 10BASE-T, 100BASE-T, and various wireless LANs. The network to be connected is not limited to a LAN, and may be another network such as a WAN (Wide Area Network). The serial connection unit 16 is used to connect various external peripheral devices corresponding to the serial transfer method. The USB connection unit 17 is for connecting a device conforming to the USB standard such as USB 1.1 and USB 2.0. The modem 18 includes a modem control unit for connecting to a public line such as a facsimile, and provides various facsimile functions.

  The user interface 2 exchanges various information between the user and the controller 1. For example, the user interface 2 includes a display unit 20 including a liquid crystal display with a touch panel and an operation unit 21 including various buttons, switches, and keys. Consists of including control panels. The touch panel functionally belongs to the operation unit 21.

  The scanner unit 3 optically reads an image of a document and generates image data based on the reading result. The printing unit 4 includes a printer engine that conveys sheet media such as paper media one by one and prints and outputs image data as visible images on the sheet media. The post-processing unit 5 performs post-processing such as folding processing, stapling processing (binding processing), punching processing (drilling processing) on the printed sheet medium.

  In the image processing apparatus having the above-described configuration, for example, a user name, a personal identification number, a password, a confidential box number, and the like are set as identification information of a confidential box in a part of the storage area of the hard disk 10 for each user. It is assumed that the assigned confidential box is provided in advance. However, the confidential box is not limited to the hard disk 10 but may be provided in another storage device, for example, an external hard disk or memory connected to the USB connection unit 17.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a main configuration of the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Each functional unit shown in the figure has a hardware system configuration shown in FIG. 1 (particularly, a CPU 6, ROM 7, RAM 8, nonvolatile memory 9, hard disk 10, user interface 2, printing unit 4, etc. included in the controller 1). It is realized by using.

  In FIG. 2, a box designating unit 22 designates a confidential box that is a storage location of image data when image data is stored in the confidential box or when image data is read from the confidential box. The data storage unit 23 stores image data in the hard disk 10. In the data storage unit 23, when the confidential box is designated by the box designating unit 22, the image data is stored in the designated confidential box, and the type of service used at the time of storing the image data is set. The image data is stored in the confidential box in association (association) with the image data. Including the confidential box, the hard disk 10 stores image data in units of document files. One document file contains image data of an arbitrary number of pages (one page to a plurality of pages).

  The print instruction unit 24 receives a print request from the user and instructs to print image data in response to the print request. The print instruction unit 24 instructs printing of image data requested for printing from the designated confidential box when the confidential box is designated by the box designation unit 22. The print instruction unit 24 instructs the print control unit 25 to print image data. The print control unit 25 reads the image data that has received the print instruction from the print instruction unit 24 from the hard disk 10 (including the confidential box), and sends the image data to the printing unit 4 to perform a print operation, thereby making the image data visible. An image (toner image, ink image) is printed on a sheet medium.

  The counter unit 26 includes a plurality of independent counters, and counts the number of sheets printed by the printing unit 4 (the number of printed sheets) using each counter as appropriate. A plurality of counters constituting the counter unit 26 are provided in, for example, the nonvolatile memory 9. The accounting unit 27 reads the count value of each counter of the counter unit 26, and performs accounting processing based on the read count value.

  Next, as an example of an image processing method using the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, image data storage processing, image data printing processing, and charging processing related to confidential printing will be described in order.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of image data storage processing. First, the data storage unit 23 checks whether or not there is an instruction to store image data (step S1). If there is such an instruction, whether or not a confidential box is specified in the image data storage instruction. Is confirmed (step S2). If a confidential box is designated, the data storage unit 23 determines what service the image data storage instruction is used for (step S3).

  The box designation unit 22 designates a confidential box that is a storage location of image data. The box designating unit 22 is configured by a data analysis unit (not shown) that analyzes the contents of received data (including image data and various commands) received via the user interface 2 or the LAN connection unit 15 or the modem 18. . In this case, the confidential box is configured such that the user inputs the identification information of the confidential box through the operation unit 21 of the user interface 2 or sets the command information 1 in the print data or facsimile data received via the LAN connection unit 15 or the modem 18. It is specified by adding identification information of the confidential box. In addition, when storing image data in a confidential box, there are four types of services such as a copy service, a scan service, a print service, and a facsimile service that are used using an image processing apparatus that is a multifunction machine. . In such a case, the data storage unit 23 determines (determines) the type of service as follows.

  That is, when using the copy service or the scan service, the user sets a document on the scanner unit 3 and instructs the operation unit 21 of the user interface 2 to execute copy or scan and store data in the confidential box. Therefore, it is determined whether the service type is a copy service or a scan service based on the instruction information. Further, when using the print service, a user instructs a command to store print data and data in a confidential box from an external device (terminal device such as a personal computer) via a network connected to the LAN connection unit 15. Since it is transmitted and received by the controller 1, it is determined that the type of service is a print service in response to the command. When using the facsimile service, the modem 18 receives a command for instructing to store the facsimile data and the data in the confidential box, so that the type of service is determined to be the facsimile service in response to the command. .

  Subsequently, in the data storage unit 23, the image data (copy data, scan data, print data, or facsimile data) to be stored is stored in the confidential box in the hard disk 10 designated by the box designating unit 22. The service type information (copy service, scan service, print service, facsimile service) determined in the previous step S3 is stored in association with the data (step S4). Further, when storing the image data, if the confidential box is not specified by the box specifying unit 22, the image data is stored in the hard disk 10 as usual (step S5).

  FIG. 4 shows an example of storing image data in the confidential box. In the figure, image data D1 is stored in association with a facsimile service, image data D2 is stored in association with a scan service, image data D3 is stored in association with a print service, and image data D4 is associated with a copy service. It is stored with.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of image data printing processing. This printing process may be performed subsequent to the image data storage process (FIG. 3), or may be performed by newly starting the process after storing the image data.

  First, the print instruction unit 24 checks whether there is a print request from the user interface 2 or an external device (step S11). If there is a print request, a confidential box is designated by the box designating unit 22 at the time of the print request. (Step S12). If a confidential box is designated, box identification information for specifying the confidential box is included in the instruction content, and an instruction for confidential printing is transmitted to the print control unit 25 (step S13). As a result, the print control unit 25 reads the user-specified image data and the service type information associated with the image data from the user-specified confidential box included in the confidential print instruction content from the print instruction unit 24. (Step S14).

  The instruction content of the print instruction given from the print instruction unit 24 to the print control unit 25 includes at least the image data to be printed regardless of whether the print instruction is a confidential print instruction or a normal print instruction. Storage location information for specifying a storage location and file information for specifying a document file of image data to be printed are included. In confidential printing, image data read from a confidential box provided in the hard disk 10 is printed. In normal printing, image data read from a storage area other than the confidential box of the hard disk 10 is printed.

  If the image data D1 is designated as a print target in the confidential box specified by the user as the confidential print instruction content, the service type information called the facsimile service associated with the image data D1 is read out. As described above, the confidential box and the image data are specified via the network connected to the operation unit 21 and the LAN connection unit 15 of the user interface 2 and the identification information of the confidential box and the identification information of the image data (file name, etc.). ) Is specified.

  Subsequently, using the image data read from the confidential box, the printing unit 5 prints out a visible image on a sheet medium, and the counter unit 26 counts the number of prints at that time for each service type read out first. (Step S15). In the count process, every time one page of image data is printed on one sheet medium, the counter value corresponding to the service type is incremented by 1 (counted up).

  Here, in order to individually count the number of confidential prints for each type of service available in the image processing apparatus (multifunction machine), the counter unit 26 has a counter for copy service as shown in FIG. (Hereinafter referred to as a copy counter), a scan service counter (hereinafter referred to as a scan counter), a print service counter (hereinafter referred to as a print counter), and a facsimile service counter (hereinafter referred to as a facsimile counter). . In such a case, for example, if the service type associated with the image data read from the confidential box is a print service, the counter unit 26 sets the value of the corresponding print counter to the number of print execution pages (number of prints). By sequentially incrementing accordingly, the number of prints of the image data is counted by the print counter. If the image data read from the confidential box is facsimile data, the counter unit 26 sequentially increments the value of the corresponding facsimile counter in accordance with the number of pages to be printed (number of printed sheets). Is counted by a facsimile counter. Thereafter, when the print output up to the last page is completed, the counting process is finished at that time.

  On the other hand, when the confidential box is not designated at the time of the print request, the print instruction unit 24 instructs the print control unit 25 to perform normal printing (step S16). As a result, the print control unit 25 reads the user-specified image data included in the normal print instruction content from the hard disk 10 (step S17).

  Next, using the image data read from the hard disk 10, the printing unit 5 prints a visible image on a sheet medium, and the counter unit 26 counts the number of prints at that time (step S18). In the count process, every time image data for one page is printed out on one sheet medium, the value of the counter for normal printing is incremented by 1 (counted up). When the print output up to the last page is completed, the count process is finished at that time.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a charging process related to confidential printing. Here, as an example, it is assumed that a charging process is performed following the printing process. First, the value (count value) of the counter that has performed the count operation in this confidential printing is read out by the charging unit 27 (step S21). For example, when the counter (copy counter) prepared for the copy service performs a counting operation in this confidential printing, the count value corresponding to the increment of the copy counter by this counting operation is read. In this confidential printing, when a counter (scan counter) prepared for the scan service performs a count operation, the count value corresponding to the count up by the scan counter is read by this count operation. The counter value for counting up can be obtained by taking the difference between the counter value read this time and the counter value read last time.

  Next, the billing unit 27 calculates a service usage fee by performing arithmetic processing such as multiplying the previously read counter value by the usage unit price per sheet set for each service type, and this service charge is calculated. The user is charged for the usage fee (steps S22 and S23). For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the unit price per sheet for each service type is set to 20 yen for both the copy service and the scan service, 15 yen for the print service, and 10 yen for the facsimile service. If the value of the print counter increases by 7 (counts up) due to the counting operation associated with this confidential printing, the service usage fee is calculated as 105 yen (= 15 yen x 7 sheets). However, the user is charged as a service usage fee for the confidential printing this time.

  As described above, in the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, when storing image data in the designated confidential box, the type of service used at that time is associated with the image data, and then the confidential box is used. When image data is read and printed (confidential printing), the number of printed sheets is counted using a counter corresponding to the type of service associated with the image data when the data is stored. Can be managed separately. As a result, when performing confidential printing, it is possible to finely set a service usage fee according to the diversification of service forms used by the user, and charge the user according to this fee setting.

  The accounting process described above does not necessarily have to be performed every time the user performs confidential printing. For example, the charging process is performed at regular intervals (cycles) such as every other day, every other week, or every other month. May be. More specifically, the service usage history for each user related to confidential printing is stored in the nonvolatile memory 9 or the hard disk 10. Then, referring to this service history information every fixed period, the value of each counter (count up within a fixed period) is totaled individually, and the unit price for each service corresponding to each counter is totaled for each counter Multiply the value to calculate a subtotal of usage fees by service.

  For example, if the count count value of the copy counter is 12, the count count value of the scan counter is 8, the count count value of the print counter is 10, and the count count value of the facsimile counter is 20, the subtotal of the usage fee as a copy service Is ¥ 240 (= 12 × 20 yen), the subtotal of the usage fee for the scan service is 160 yen (= 8 × 20 yen), the subtotal of the usage fee for the print service is 150 yen (= 10 × 15 yen), facsimile The subtotal of usage fees as a service is 200 yen (= 20 × 10 yen). When the subtotal of the usage fee for each service is calculated in this way, the total service usage fee is calculated by adding all the subtotals, and this amount is charged to the user. For example, in the above example, if all the subtotals for each service are added, the total usage fee is 750 yen, and this amount is charged to the user as a service usage fee within a certain period.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another procedure of the image data printing process. 9 are the same as the processes in steps S11 and S12 in FIG. 5, and the processes in steps S39, S40, and S41 in FIG. 9 are the same as those in steps S16, S17, and in FIG. Since this is the same as the processing of S18, the processing contents of the other steps will be described in detail here.

  First, in the print instruction unit 24, when a confidential box is designated at the time of a print request and image data of N document files is selected as a print target, the number of document files of the image data to be printed is set to N. Set (step S33). The image data to be printed is selected in document file units from a user-specified confidential box when the user interface 2 or an external device issues a print request to the image processing apparatus. At this time, if the number of document files of the image data selected as the print target is 1, N = 1 is set in step S33, and if the number of document files is 3, N = in step S33. 3 is set.

  Next, in response to the print request for confidential printing for N document files as described above, the print instruction unit 24 includes box identification information for specifying the confidential box in the instruction content and the print control unit. An instruction for confidential printing is transmitted to 25 (step S34). As a result, the print control unit 25 selects the image data stored in one document file from the user-specified confidential box included in the confidential print instruction content and the image data stored in one document file among the N user-specified document files. Service type information associated with is read (step S35).

  Subsequently, using the image data read from the confidential box, the printing unit 5 prints out a visible image on a sheet medium, and the counter unit 26 counts the number of prints at that time for each service type read out first. (Step S36). In the count process, every time one page of image data is printed on one sheet medium, the counter value corresponding to the service type is incremented by 1 (counted up). The details of the counting process are the same as those described for step S15 in FIG.

  Thereafter, the print output up to the last page of the first (first) image data to be printed is completed, and when the count processing of the number of printed sheets executed by the printing unit 5 is completed so far, the value of N is set to 1. Decrement (step S37). Next, it is determined whether or not the value of N has become zero, that is, whether or not the printing of the image data of all the document files selected as print targets has been completed (step S38). If N ≠ 0, the process returns to step S35, and the image data of the second and subsequent document files that have not yet been printed are sequentially read out from the confidential box and printed, and the number of printed sheets is counted. The order in which the image data of a plurality of document files is printed can be arbitrarily set (for example, the document file registration order). If N = 0, a series of printing processes are finished at that time.

  In the above printing process, when confidential printing of image data is instructed by a print instruction unit 24 for a plurality of document files, the counter unit 26 uses a service associated with the image data of each document file. Since the number of prints is counted for each type, even when image data of a plurality of document files stored in a confidential box are printed together in one job, the number of confidential prints is managed separately for each service type. be able to.

  In the above embodiment, when storing image data in the confidential box of the hard disk 10, the type of service used at the time of data storage is stored in the confidential box in association with the image data. When the charging rule is actually set by using the user interface 2 or other means for setting the charging rule to be applied at the time of confidential printing, the counter unit 26 sets the charging rule for each service type. Therefore, the number of printed sheets may be counted.

  The charging rule is set by the user using the user interface 2 or the like when instructing the storage of the image data in the confidential box. In addition, the charging rule setting operation is performed by the user instructing storage of the image data in the confidential box according to necessity (user's own desire). The charging rules set by the user in this way are reflected in the service usage fee when printing (confidential printing) using the image data stored in the confidential box. Specific examples of charging rules include the presence / absence of saving modes such as toner save and ink save, color printing limitations (2-color, 3-color, etc.), paper size limitations, scanning resolution, and facsimile data. There may be a limitation of resolution.

  If there is one charging rule that can be set by the user, the number of counters installed in the counter unit 26 increases uniformly for each service accordingly. For example, if the setting item of the charging rule is the presence / absence of the toner save mode, the counter unit 26 includes a counter with toner save and a counter without toner save for the copy service and a counter for the scan service as shown in FIG. In addition, a counter with toner save and a counter without toner save, a counter with toner save and a counter without toner save for print service, a counter with toner save and a counter without toner save for facsimile service, etc. Each service counter is divided into two counters according to the presence or absence of toner save.

  When image data storage processing is performed in an image processing apparatus adopting such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 11, after confirming in sequence whether or not there is an instruction to store image data and whether or not a confidential box is specified (steps S51 and S52). ) When the confidential box is designated, the service type and the charging rule setting contents are confirmed (discriminated) in order (steps S53 and S54). If the charging rule is set by the user using the user interface 2 or the like, the setting information (for example, presence or absence of toner save) regarding the charging rule is stored in association with the image data together with the service type information. It is stored in the confidential box by the unit 23 (step S55). If the confidential box is not designated when storing the image data, the image data is stored in the hard disk 10 as usual (step S56).

  On the other hand, when the image data printing process is performed, as shown in FIG. 12, after the confidential print instruction is given by the print instruction unit 24 in step S63, the service form used by the user is diversified. It is possible to set a service usage fee in detail and charge the user according to this fee setting. The user-specified image data, the service type information associated with the image data, and the charging rule setting information are read from the user-specified confidential box included in the instruction content (step S64). Next, using the image data read from the confidential box, the printing unit 5 prints a visible image on the sheet medium, and the number of prints at that time is determined according to the charging rule setting information for each type of service read first. The counter unit 26 performs a counting process (step S65).

  In this counting process, for example, if the service type associated with the image data read from the confidential box is a print service and the charging rule setting information is a setting with toner save, the counter unit 26 Of the two counters for the print service shown in FIG. 10, the value of the counter with toner save is incremented sequentially according to the number of pages to be printed (number of prints), thereby counting the number of prints of the image data. . Also, assuming that the image data read from the confidential box is facsimile data and the charging rule setting information is a setting without toner save, the counter unit 26 uses the two counters for the facsimile service shown in FIG. Among these, the number of prints of the image data is counted by sequentially incrementing the value of the counter without toner save in accordance with the number of pages to be printed (number of prints). Thereafter, when the print output up to the last page is completed, the counting process is finished at that time.

  Note that the processes in steps S61, S62, and S66 to S68 in FIG. 12 are the same as the processes in steps S11, S12, and S16 to S18 in FIG. Further, the charging process related to confidential printing is performed in the same procedure as the flowchart of FIG. However, reading of the count value (number of printed sheets) from the counter unit 26 is performed by individually reading the value of each counter counted according to the charging rule (presence / absence of toner save) for each service type.

  In this way, when storing image data in the confidential box, the setting information of the charging rule is associated with the service type, thereby managing the number of confidential prints for each service type in accordance with the setting condition of the charging rule. be able to. Accordingly, it is possible to set a service usage fee more finely in accordance with the diversification of service forms used by the user, and charge the user according to this fee setting. Further, the apparatus configuration provided with the charging rule setting means can be applied even if it adopts the print processing procedure shown in FIG.

1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a main configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the storage process of image data. It is a figure which shows the example of storage of the image data to a confidential box. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of image data printing processing. FIG. 3 is a first diagram illustrating a list of counters provided in the counter unit. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the accounting process concerning confidential printing. It is a figure which shows the example of a setting of the utilization unit price classified by service concerning confidential printing. It is a flowchart which shows the other procedure of the storage process of image data. FIG. 3 is a first diagram illustrating a list of counters provided in the counter unit. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the storage process of image data. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of image data printing processing.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Controller, 2 ... User interface, 3 ... Scanner part, 4 ... Printing part, 6 ... CPU, 10 ... Hard disk, 22 ... Box designation | designated part, 23 ... Data storage part, 24 ... Print instruction | indication part, 25 ... Print control part , 26 ... counter unit, 27 ... billing unit

Claims (6)

A designation means for designating a confidential box;
Storage means for storing image data in the confidential box designated by the designation means, and storing the type of service used at the time of storing the image data in the confidential box in association with the image data;
Instruction means for instructing printing of the image data stored in the confidential box by the storage means;
An image processing apparatus comprising: a counting unit that counts the number of printed sheets for each type of service associated with the image data when printing the image data instructed by the instruction unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a charging unit that charges for each type of service according to the number of printed sheets counted by the counting unit. The storage means stores the image data in the confidential box in document files.
The counting unit counts the number of prints for each type of service associated with the image data of each document file when the instruction unit instructs printing of the image data for a plurality of document files. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: A setting unit for setting a charging rule to be applied when printing the image data when storing the image data in the confidential box;
The counting means prints according to the charging rule for each type of service when the charging rule is set for the image data by the setting means when printing the image data instructed by the instruction means. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of sheets is counted. A specification step for specifying a confidential box;
Storing the image data in the confidential box specified in the specifying step, and storing the type of service used at the time of storing the image data in the confidential box in association with the image data;
An instruction step for instructing printing of the image data stored in the confidential box in the storage step;
An image processing method comprising: a counting step of counting the number of prints for each type of service associated with the image data when printing the image data instructed in the instruction step. The image processing method according to claim 5, further comprising a charging step of charging for each type of service according to the number of printed sheets counted in the counting step.

Images